The Daily Toreador


The Daily Toreador, also known as The DT, is the student newspaper of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The newspaper was first published in 1925 as The Toreador and later changed its name to The University Daily before arriving at the current name in 2005. All content for The DT is produced by a staff around 40 members including editors, reporters and photographers. The DT has received numerous regional and national awards, including two Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver crown awards and two Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award finalists. As well, the paper counts five Pulitzer Prizes and four winners amongst its former staff members.

History

1925-1966: The Toreador

On October 3, 1925, two days after classes began at Texas Technological College, the first issue of The Toreador was published. The chosen name of the publication was explained in the first issue relevant to the Spanish Renaissance architecture of the campus buildings and unofficial moniker of the football team:
In 1929, The Toreador hosted a contest to create a new school song, with a prize 25 dollar prize offered to the winner. The final result was The Matador Song written by the R.C. Marshall, the editor of the 1931 La Ventana.
During World War II, the newspaper format of The Toreador was reduced in size to tabloid format, and publication was reduced from semi-weekly to weekly.
In 1962, the name of newspaper changed to The Daily Toreador reflecting the increased frequency in publication.

1966-2005: The University Daily

To represent a change in size format from tabloid to broadsheet, the newspaper debuted its new name The University Daily, on September 20, 1966, three years prior to the name change of Texas Technological College to Texas Tech University.

2005-present: The Daily Toreador

To coincide with its 80th anniversary in 2005, the name was reverted to The Daily Toreador. Following the Rawls College of Business move to a new building in 2012, the College of Media & Communication and Student Media relocated to the old Business Administration building.

Circulation

The newspaper prints 10,000 issues Mondays and Thursdays during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesdays during summer sessions, and has around 2,000 to 5,000 unique visitors per day to its website, continually making it one of the top-25 read college newspapers in the nation.

Awards

Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Although two advisers watch over the operations of the newspaper, the day-to-day decisions for the newspaper rest on the student staff. The advisers choose not to restrict the content that is placed in the paper, but instead make suggestions and give advice to the editorial board.

Current

Notable alumni

NameClass YearFormer PositionNotabilityRefs
1932Business managerBusinessman and philanthropist in Canadian, Texas; a founder of the Red Raiders Club and the Red Raiders Association of Parents
19851988 Pulitzer Prize, General News Reporting, Alabama Journal, 1996 Outstanding Alumni Recipient
1977Photographer1985 Pulitzer Prize, Spot News Photography, The Register, 1993 Pulitzer Prize, Public Service Award, The Miami Herald, 1995 Outstanding Alumni Recipient
1983News EditorNews editor, reporter, 1993 Pulitzer Prize, Public Service Award, The Miami Herald
1932Editor-in-ChiefTexas State Senator, radio station owner, and attorney. 1981 Outstanding Alumni Recipient
1938Associate EditorNews Editor at the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, and namesake of the Thomas Jay Harris Institute for Hispanic and International Communication, 1983 Outstanding Alumni Recipient.
1954Business ManagerJournalist, Chamber of Commerce member, State Parks System Administrator
1976Sports EditorKJTV-TV News Director, 2002 Outstanding Alumni Recipient
1975Editor-in-Chief1978 George Polk Award, Local Reporting, Dallas Times Herald, 1984 Pulitzer Prize, Public Service Award, Los Angeles Times, 1984 Outstanding Alumni Recipient
1938PhotographerLubbock and West Texas photographer whose 60,000 pictures were donated to the Southwest Collections/Special Collections Library in 1996.
19812010 Pulitzer Prize, Editorial Writing, Dallas Morning News, 2011 Outstanding Alumni Recipient
1952CartoonistCreator of Raider Red; elected mayor of Lubbock in 1978.